GILGIT: Two Nepalese climbers on Thursday set a world record by scaling the world’s second highest peak K2 (8,611m) in less than 15 hours.

Tsering Sherpa summited the peak in 12 hours 20 minutes from the base camp while Mingma David Sherpa did it in 14 hours and 22 minutes.

Mr Tsering started at 4:30pm on Wednesday and reached the summit on Thursday morning at 4:50am. In total, he summited the peak and returned to the base camp in 20 hours 18 minutes.

Mingma G, the leader of Imagine Nepal expedition team, told Dawn via satellite that this was the first time that any climber had summited the savage mountain in 12 hours.

Mr Tsering, who was a part of the Imagine Nepal team, had summitted Dhaulagiri (8,167m) on April 9, Kanchenjunga (8,586 m) on May 7, Mount Everest (8,848.86 m) on May 16. This was his third summit of K2.

Mr Mingma added that three other climbers from the team, Pasang Namgel, Pemba Sherpa and Jit Bahadur Sherpa, also summitted K2 on Thursday morning.

In a social media post, legendary mountaineers Nirmal Purja wrote: “Huge congratulations to my brother Mingma David Sherpa for summiting the savage mountain for the 5th time, he is the only human in the world to do so, his last K2 ascent took just 14 [hours] and 22 [minutes] from base camp to the top.”

Separately, two women climbers, Fish Tri from Taiwan and Dawa Nuppu Sherpa from Nepal, also summited the K2, Summit Karakoram’s Sakhawat Hussain told Dawn.

He added that eight climbers from Summit Karakoram, including female climbers from Taiwan, Norway and Nepal, summited Broad Peak (8,051 m) on Thursday morning.

Tseng Ko-Erh from Taiwan, Kristin Harila from Norway, Dawa Ongju Sherpa, Nima Gyalzen Sherpa, Ningma Dorje Tamang, Chhiring Namjel Sherpa, Pasdawa Sherpa and Passang Lhamu from Nepal were the summiteers. According to a statement issued by Summit Karakoram, Ms Tseng completed the summit without supplementary oxygen.

A 12-member SST Expedition Team also summited K2 on Thursday.

The team included Antonina Samoilova from Ukraine, Adriana Brownlee and Dorota Lidia Samocko from the UK, Erix Asdrubal from Mexico, Sona Sherpa, Ngima Dorchi Sherpa, Gelje Sherpa, Dawa Nurbu Sherpa, Tenging Gyaljen Sherpa from Nepal and Francois Cazzanelli, Picco Pietro and Jerome Perruquet from Italy.

Furthermore, three climbers from the SST Expedition Team, including Moeses Fiamoncini from Brazil, Miguel Oscar from Mexico and Pasang Nurbu Sherpa from Nepal, summited Gasherbrum-II (8034m) on Thursday.

In total 19 climbers summited K2, eight summited the Broad Peak and three Gasherbrum-II.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2022